Overview

Enjoy a comfortable long-distance ride on a well-trained gaited horse and you’ll be surprised at how easygoing these handsome animals can be. But unique challenges can arise when horse owners more familiar with the standard walk, trot, and canter try to train these complex and multigeared horses to gait correctly. Author Lee Ziegler guides riders through the finer points of developing and maintaining these extra gaits, using humane training methods that stress patience and good horsemanship.

Product Details

About the Author

Lee Ziegler writes on easy-gaited horses for such publications as The Fox Trotter Journal, Horse and Horseman, Walking Way, Gaitway Magazine, The Canadian Walking Horse News, and The Gaited Horse. She lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

What Are the Easy Gaits?

(Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Gaits, and More!)

The natural and perfect gaits are those that come from nature, without having been improved upon by art.

— François Robichon de la Guérinière (1687–1751)

It is easy to fall in love with gaited horses. In addition to their pleasant dispositions and attractive looks, they seduce you with the promise of long rides spent gliding effortlessly along the trail without the hard work of posting or sitting the jarring motion of the trot. Because their gaits are so comfortable to ride, these horses lull you into believing that riding them will be simple. After all, if you don't have to post and you don't have to worry about staying on during a rough trot, riding doesn't appear to take much physical effort. You can just relax and enjoy your wonderful easy-gaited horse.

You may expect that your horse's gait will be automatic because his breed is "supposed to" do that gait. With years of breeding for a specific gait behind your horse, it is reasonable to assume that your Tennessee Walking Horse will do a running walk, your Missouri Fox

Trotter will do a fox trot, your Paso Fino will do a corto or largo, your Peruvian Paso will do either a sobreandando or a paso llano, your Rocky Mountain horse will do a saddle rack, your Icelandic will do a tolt, and if your horse is of some other breed, he will do the gait specialty of that breed.

Sometimes, however, a peculiar thing happens as you spend more time riding your new gaited horse. The lovely gait that originally came with him may change or evaporate entirely, often about the time he needs a hoof trim or a new set of shoes. He may start to "wiggle differently" in some other smooth gait. Worse yet, he may start to bounce you in something that is not a trot, but just as uncomfortable. "What happened?" you wonder. How could this horse, the love of your life, change into a rough-riding nightmare?

It happens because easy-gaited horses don't read their registration papers, let alone the glowing accounts that fill the breed literature. No matter what the breed, no matter how pure the bloodlines, no matter how thorough the training may have been, the reality is that almost all easy-gaited horses can, on occasion, offer gaits you may have never heard of, some of which are not particularly easy to ride. To enjoy consistently the gliding gait that convinced you to "go gaited," you need to be more than a passive load of freight on your horse's back. You need to figure out what gaits he can do and actively help him perform the one you prefer.

Although every easy-gaited horse has many natural or inborn gaits to choose from, most naturally prefer to do only one intermediate gait. However, your horse may not automatically select the gait you are expecting. Riding one of these horses is like changing from a simple pedal bicycle to a 20-speed version. Trotting horses are pedal bikes, basically doing their gaits according to speed, with no options. Easy-gaited horses are more complex, multi-geared models. If you fail to select a gait from the many they offer, or somehow shift gears without realizing you have done so, you may find yourself riding an unexpected gait.

Before you can select a specific gait "gear" with your easy-gaited horse, you need to figure out what gears he has! Learn to recognize the gaits your horse may slip into so you can identify the difference between what he is doing and the gait you want. This is not terribly difficult, but it takes a little concentration and some practice. To learn the differences between gaits, watch as many horses as possible moving in gait from the ground (preferably on slow-motion video) and feel the gaits of a number of well-gaited horses from the saddle. If you learn to recognize each specific gait by sight and feel, you will develop a good foundation for riding and training in the easy gaits of any breed.

Defining the Gaits

The easy gaits are those gaits that are comfortable to ride and faster than an ordinary walk but slower than a canter or gallop. Sometimes called the intermediate gaits, they include the flat-footed walk, the running walk, the fox trot, the broken or stepping pace, the saddle rack, and the true rack. The pace is also sometimes used as a riding gait, but it is not as comfortable as the true easy gaits.

If you try to figure out what a horse is doing as you watch him zip by at top speed, you will probably get only a vague idea of his gait. You might make an educated guess about what his legs are doing, but what you perceive may be as far from reality as those traditional paintings of a horse galloping with two front legs stretched straight in front and two hind legs stretched out behind. Photography has long since proven that horses don't gallop that way, and photography can be a great help in figuring out exactly what a horse is doing in a gait. Using photography, we can view and quantify enough information about gaits to overwhelm anyone who just wants to understand easy gaits for ordinary riding purposes.

For practical gait identification, complex scientific gait graphs are sometimes confusing and difficult to apply. A series of pictures showing how a horse looks in each phase of a gait is easier to understand than a grid showing his hoof supports. To truly understand a gait, however, you need a little help from the scientific definitions of gait to go along with pictures of the horse in the gait. Applying some of these clearly defined elements of gait to your horse's easy gaits will fill in details that are missing from sequential still pictures and give you a clear picture of what your horse is doing with all those different "wiggles" he uses when you ride him.

Useful criteria for categorizing gaits are:

* Footfall sequence

* Footfall timing

* Hoof pick-up timing

* Hoof support sequence

* Hoof-to-hoof weight transfer between the two front hooves or the two hind hooves, also called the transverse pairs of hooves. (That is, the transverse pairs are the hooves straight across the horse's body from each other, either the front hooves or the hind hooves.)

In addition, for comparison purposes, some definitions have been adopted as standard by most gait analysis systems.

1. All gait sequences start with the set-down of a hind hoof, usually the right, and form a half stride with the setdown of the opposite hind hoof or a full stride with the set-down of the original hind hoof again.

2. A step is defined as the distance between the set-down of one front hoof and the other or one hind hoof and the other. Steps may be:

* Walking or marching steps, in which each hoof of the transverse pair is flat on the ground for a split second as weight is transferred

* Running steps, in which one hoof of the transverse pair is in the process of lifting as the other sets down

* Leaped steps, in which both hooves are off the ground for a split second

3. The track of a gait is the impression left by hooves in the dirt as the horse moves forward. This includes overstride, understride, and capping. Sometimes the track is used as part of the definition process for a gait, along with the less permanent aspects of timing and sequence.

* Overstride is defined by the distance a hind hoof sets down in front of the front hoof on the same side, measured from the toe of the hind-hoof track to the toe of the front-hoof track.

* Understride is defined as the distance a hind hoof sets down behind the front hoof on the same side, measured from the heel of the front-hoof track to the toe of the hind-hoof track.

* Capping is defined as the setting down of the hind hoof in the track of the front hoof on the same side.

These basic terms and definitions are used in most descriptions of the easy gaits and are useful parts of any horseman's vocabulary. It is impossible to describe the different gaits without them.

How Many Gaits Are There?

Photography has allowed scientists to determine that horses are theoretically capable of more than 100 different support or timing sequences in addition to the more complex canter and gallop. Horses have actually been observed using more than 50 of these gait variations! Fortunately for those of us who are trying to understand the easy gaits, horses most often use eight or nine clearly defined, symmetrical gaits (gaits in which the movements of legs on one side of the horse mirror those on the other) when they are not cantering or galloping. These gaits, in which the action of the legs on the right of the horse mirrors that of the left, have different names in various languages but are essentially the same no matter what breed of horse is doing them. In English, as well as in the most common foreign terms used in the United States, they are:

1. The walk

2. The flat-footed walk or flat walk (slow paso llano)

3. The running walk (paso llano)

4. The pace (skeith, flug skeith, huachano)

5. The broken or stepping pace, also called the amble (skeithtolt, sobreandando)

Because horses are living creatures with imperfections, within each of these gaits there will be some variations from the ideal gait. For example, a trot is usually defined as a diagonal gait in which the right hind and left front hoof hit the ground at the same time, followed by a moment of suspension when all four legs are off the ground, followed by the simultaneous set-down of the left hind and right front hooves. With some horses, however, the hind hoof of the diagonal pair will hit the ground a split second before the front, and in others the front hoof of the pair will hit first. Because it is almost impossible to see these timing differences without slow-motion video, the variations are accepted as trots, although they may not be as desirable as the ideal type. In the easy gaits, horses will also vary slightly in timing and support from the ideal version of the gait, but as long as these variations are not obvious to the naked eye, they are accepted as falling within the definition of that particular gait.

How the Gaits Look and Feel

The easy gaits fall into three main groups, according to the timing of their footfalls and hoof pick-up.

The Square Gaits

These gaits are "square" because hooves leave the ground and set down at even intervals. In all of these gaits, there is no obvious diagonal or lateral pairing in the timing of the set-down or pick-up of the hooves. Each leg works alone, independent of the other three. The gaits differ from one another in their speed and in the way weight is shifted between the transverse pairs of legs. Horses also do them with slightly different "body language."

The Walk

All horses do an ordinary walk, sometimes called a "dog walk" in gaited breeds. In the walk, each hoof lifts and contacts the ground at equal, separate intervals. The speed is relatively slow, at most four miles per hour. The sound, or rhythm, is an even 1- 2-3-4 beat. In the walk, there are two periods during which three hooves are solidly on the ground, and two periods during which only two hooves are in contact with the ground. The walk is a two-foot, three-foot support gait that can be seen as the "mother gait" of all the easy gaits, which are all variations of the timing and support of this basic four-beat gait.

How it looks: In an ordinary walk, there is a gentle, rhythmic up-and-down motion of the head and neck, in time with the forward motion of the front legs. The head rises as each forefoot is about to set down and reaches its lowest position as each front hoof is halfway through its step. The back may seem to undulate as the horse moves, but his croup stays relatively level, without up-and-down motion.

No two legs appear to move together; each lifts and sets down independently. The horse nods his head and neck up and down in time with his leg movements, moving slowly.

How it feels: The walk rocks you gently from front to back in the saddle. You can clearly feel each hoof hit the ground at even intervals as the back gently rises and falls in a rolling motion under your seat.

THE SUPPORT SEQUENCE OF THE ORDINARY WALK

The Flat-Footed or Flat Walk/Slow Paso Llano

Although some non-gaited horses can be taught to do this gait, it is mostly seen in the easy-gaited breeds. It is identical to the ordinary walk in footfall sequence, footfall timing, support sequence, and weight transfer. The flat walk, however, is faster than the ordinary walk, ranging from four to six miles per hour. The speed comes from longer steps and increased overstride. The sound is an even 1-2-3-4 beat.

How it looks: Horses nod their heads up and down a little more obviously in the flat walk than they do in the ordinary walk. The back does not seem to undulate as much, and the motion of the horse's body is tighter, less "sloppy," in this type of walk. The horse's croup remains level, but the hind legs push a little more strongly than they do in the ordinary walk. Each hoof leaves the ground and sets down independently; no two legs appear to move together. The horse appears energetic but relaxed in this fast walk. A good description of this gait is that it is the walk a horse uses when he has worked hard during the day and is heading home. He speeds up his walk, but doesn't take rapid steps.

How it feels: The flat walk is often more comfortable to ride than the ordinary walk, especially if the horse is long legged. In this gait any rolling motion of the back that was noticeable in an ordinary walk disappears, but you do feel some front-to-back movement in the saddle. You feel each hoof hit the ground separately, with a strong push from each hind leg. You feel an energetic connection through the horse's body as he moves in a flat walk, unlike the more relaxed and lazy feel of the ordinary walk.

The Running Walk

In this gait, the hooves leave the ground and set down at even intervals, as they do in the walk and flat walk. The speed ranges from seven to ten miles per hour, with a few individuals able to perform the gait correctly at higher speeds. The sound is an even 1-2-3-4 beat. You can easily recite the little phrase "let's go a-long" to the beats of the gait when riding on a firm surface. The footfall sequence and timing are the same in this gait as they are in the ordinary and flat walk. The basic support sequence is also the same, although when it is done at faster speeds there is a change in the weight transfer from a walking step to a running step. That means that one hoof sets down as the other lifts, with only part of the lifting hoof still in contact with the ground as the transfer is made. The overstride is also longer in the running walk than it is in the flat walk or ordinary walk. Some of the increase in speed between the ordinary walk and the running walk is the result of this increased length of step.

How it looks: Horses doing a running walk continue to nod their heads and necks, although they may not move quite as far up and down as they do in the slower walks. The back is steady, with no obvious undulations, and the croup stays level, with no up and down bounce to the tail. The hind step is long and sweeping, while the front may be a little higher than in the ordinary walk for some horses. The hooves leave the ground and set down at even, equal intervals, with no pairing in time of any two legs. The horse appears energetic but relaxed, with long sweeping steps from his hind legs pushing him strongly forward.

First Chapter

The natural and perfect gaits are those that come from nature, without having been improved upon by art.

— François Robichon de la Guérinière (1687–1751)

It is easy to fall in love with gaited horses. In addition to their pleasant dispositions and attractive looks, they seduce you with the promise of long rides spent gliding effortlessly along the trail without the hard work of posting or sitting the jarring motion of the trot. Because their gaits are so comfortable to ride, these horses lull you into believing that riding them will be simple. After all, if you don't have to post and you don't have to worry about staying on during a rough trot, riding doesn't appear to take much physical effort. You can just relax and enjoy your wonderful easy-gaited horse.

You may expect that your horse's gait will be automatic because his breed is "supposed to" do that gait. With years of breeding for a specific gait behind your horse, it is reasonable to assume that your Tennessee Walking Horse will do a running walk, your Missouri Fox

Trotter will do a fox trot, your Paso Fino will do a corto or largo, your Peruvian Paso will do either a sobreandando or a paso llano, your Rocky Mountain horse will do a saddle rack, your Icelandic will do a tolt, and if your horse is of some other breed, he will do the gait specialty of that breed.

Sometimes, however, a peculiar thing happens as you spend more time riding your new gaited horse. The lovely gait that originally came with him may change or evaporate entirely, often about the time he needs a hoof trim or a new set of shoes. He may start to "wiggle differently" in some other smooth gait. Worse yet, he may start to bounce you in something that is not a trot, but just as uncomfortable. "What happened?" you wonder. How could this horse, the love of your life, change into a rough-riding nightmare?

It happens because easy-gaited horses don't read their registration papers, let alone the glowing accounts that fill the breed literature. No matter what the breed, no matter how pure the bloodlines, no matter how thorough the training may have been, the reality is that almost all easy-gaited horses can, on occasion, offer gaits you may have never heard of, some of which are not particularly easy to ride. To enjoy consistently the gliding gait that convinced you to "go gaited," you need to be more than a passive load of freight on your horse's back. You need to figure out what gaits he can do and actively help him perform the one you prefer.

Although every easy-gaited horse has many natural or inborn gaits to choose from, most naturally prefer to do only one intermediate gait. However, your horse may not automatically select the gait you are expecting. Riding one of these horses is like changing from a simple pedal bicycle to a 20-speed version. Trotting horses are pedal bikes, basically doing their gaits according to speed, with no options. Easy-gaited horses are more complex, multi-geared models. If you fail to select a gait from the many they offer, or somehow shift gears without realizing you have done so, you may find yourself riding an unexpected gait.

Before you can select a specific gait "gear" with your easy-gaited horse, you need to figure out what gears he has! Learn to recognize the gaits your horse may slip into so you can identify the difference between what he is doing and the gait you want. This is not terribly difficult, but it takes a little concentration and some practice. To learn the differences between gaits, watch as many horses as possible moving in gait from the ground (preferably on slow-motion video) and feel the gaits of a number of well-gaited horses from the saddle. If you learn to recognize each specific gait by sight and feel, you will develop a good foundation for riding and training in the easy gaits of any breed.

Defining the Gaits

The easy gaits are those gaits that are comfortable to ride and faster than an ordinary walk but slower than a canter or gallop. Sometimes called the intermediate gaits, they include the flat-footed walk, the running walk, the fox trot, the broken or stepping pace, the saddle rack, and the true rack. The pace is also sometimes used as a riding gait, but it is not as comfortable as the true easy gaits.

If you try to figure out what a horse is doing as you watch him zip by at top speed, you will probably get only a vague idea of his gait. You might make an educated guess about what his legs are doing, but what you perceive may be as far from reality as those traditional paintings of a horse galloping with two front legs stretched straight in front and two hind legs stretched out behind. Photography has long since proven that horses don't gallop that way, and photography can be a great help in figuring out exactly what a horse is doing in a gait. Using photography, we can view and quantify enough information about gaits to overwhelm anyone who just wants to understand easy gaits for ordinary riding purposes.

For practical gait identification, complex scientific gait graphs are sometimes confusing and difficult to apply. A series of pictures showing how a horse looks in each phase of a gait is easier to understand than a grid showing his hoof supports. To truly understand a gait, however, you need a little help from the scientific definitions of gait to go along with pictures of the horse in the gait. Applying some of these clearly defined elements of gait to your horse's easy gaits will fill in details that are missing from sequential still pictures and give you a clear picture of what your horse is doing with all those different "wiggles" he uses when you ride him.

Useful criteria for categorizing gaits are:

* Footfall sequence

* Footfall timing

* Hoof pick-up timing

* Hoof support sequence

* Hoof-to-hoof weight transfer between the two front hooves or the two hind hooves, also called the transverse pairs of hooves. (That is, the transverse pairs are the hooves straight across the horse's body from each other, either the front hooves or the hind hooves.)

In addition, for comparison purposes, some definitions have been adopted as standard by most gait analysis systems.

1. All gait sequences start with the set-down of a hind hoof, usually the right, and form a half stride with the setdown of the opposite hind hoof or a full stride with the set-down of the original hind hoof again.

2. A step is defined as the distance between the set-down of one front hoof and the other or one hind hoof and the other. Steps may be:

* Walking or marching steps, in which each hoof of the transverse pair is flat on the ground for a split second as weight is transferred

* Running steps, in which one hoof of the transverse pair is in the process of lifting as the other sets down

* Leaped steps, in which both hooves are off the ground for a split second

3. The track of a gait is the impression left by hooves in the dirt as the horse moves forward. This includes overstride, understride, and capping. Sometimes the track is used as part of the definition process for a gait, along with the less permanent aspects of timing and sequence.

* Overstride is defined by the distance a hind hoof sets down in front of the front hoof on the same side, measured from the toe of the hind-hoof track to the toe of the front-hoof track.

* Understride is defined as the distance a hind hoof sets down behind the front hoof on the same side, measured from the heel of the front-hoof track to the toe of the hind-hoof track.

* Capping is defined as the setting down of the hind hoof in the track of the front hoof on the same side.

These basic terms and definitions are used in most descriptions of the easy gaits and are useful parts of any horseman's vocabulary. It is impossible to describe the different gaits without them.

How Many Gaits Are There?

Photography has allowed scientists to determine that horses are theoretically capable of more than 100 different support or timing sequences in addition to the more complex canter and gallop. Horses have actually been observed using more than 50 of these gait variations! Fortunately for those of us who are trying to understand the easy gaits, horses most often use eight or nine clearly defined, symmetrical gaits (gaits in which the movements of legs on one side of the horse mirror those on the other) when they are not cantering or galloping. These gaits, in which the action of the legs on the right of the horse mirrors that of the left, have different names in various languages but are essentially the same no matter what breed of horse is doing them. In English, as well as in the most common foreign terms used in the United States, they are:

1. The walk

2. The flat-footed walk or flat walk (slow paso llano)

3. The running walk (paso llano)

4. The pace (skeith, flug skeith, huachano)

5. The broken or stepping pace, also called the amble (skeithtolt, sobreandando)

Because horses are living creatures with imperfections, within each of these gaits there will be some variations from the ideal gait. For example, a trot is usually defined as a diagonal gait in which the right hind and left front hoof hit the ground at the same time, followed by a moment of suspension when all four legs are off the ground, followed by the simultaneous set-down of the left hind and right front hooves. With some horses, however, the hind hoof of the diagonal pair will hit the ground a split second before the front, and in others the front hoof of the pair will hit first. Because it is almost impossible to see these timing differences without slow-motion video, the variations are accepted as trots, although they may not be as desirable as the ideal type. In the easy gaits, horses will also vary slightly in timing and support from the ideal version of the gait, but as long as these variations are not obvious to the naked eye, they are accepted as falling within the definition of that particular gait.

How the Gaits Look and Feel

The easy gaits fall into three main groups, according to the timing of their footfalls and hoof pick-up.

The Square Gaits

These gaits are "square" because hooves leave the ground and set down at even intervals. In all of these gaits, there is no obvious diagonal or lateral pairing in the timing of the set-down or pick-up of the hooves. Each leg works alone, independent of the other three. The gaits differ from one another in their speed and in the way weight is shifted between the transverse pairs of legs. Horses also do them with slightly different "body language."

The Walk

All horses do an ordinary walk, sometimes called a "dog walk" in gaited breeds. In the walk, each hoof lifts and contacts the ground at equal, separate intervals. The speed is relatively slow, at most four miles per hour. The sound, or rhythm, is an even 1- 2-3-4 beat. In the walk, there are two periods during which three hooves are solidly on the ground, and two periods during which only two hooves are in contact with the ground. The walk is a two-foot, three-foot support gait that can be seen as the "mother gait" of all the easy gaits, which are all variations of the timing and support of this basic four-beat gait.

How it looks: In an ordinary walk, there is a gentle, rhythmic up-and-down motion of the head and neck, in time with the forward motion of the front legs. The head rises as each forefoot is about to set down and reaches its lowest position as each front hoof is halfway through its step. The back may seem to undulate as the horse moves, but his croup stays relatively level, without up-and-down motion.

No two legs appear to move together; each lifts and sets down independently. The horse nods his head and neck up and down in time with his leg movements, moving slowly.

How it feels: The walk rocks you gently from front to back in the saddle. You can clearly feel each hoof hit the ground at even intervals as the back gently rises and falls in a rolling motion under your seat.

THE SUPPORT SEQUENCE OF THE ORDINARY WALK

The Flat-Footed or Flat Walk/Slow Paso Llano

Although some non-gaited horses can be taught to do this gait, it is mostly seen in the easy-gaited breeds. It is identical to the ordinary walk in footfall sequence, footfall timing, support sequence, and weight transfer. The flat walk, however, is faster than the ordinary walk, ranging from four to six miles per hour. The speed comes from longer steps and increased overstride. The sound is an even 1-2-3-4 beat.

How it looks: Horses nod their heads up and down a little more obviously in the flat walk than they do in the ordinary walk. The back does not seem to undulate as much, and the motion of the horse's body is tighter, less "sloppy," in this type of walk. The horse's croup remains level, but the hind legs push a little more strongly than they do in the ordinary walk. Each hoof leaves the ground and sets down independently; no two legs appear to move together. The horse appears energetic but relaxed in this fast walk. A good description of this gait is that it is the walk a horse uses when he has worked hard during the day and is heading home. He speeds up his walk, but doesn't take rapid steps.

How it feels: The flat walk is often more comfortable to ride than the ordinary walk, especially if the horse is long legged. In this gait any rolling motion of the back that was noticeable in an ordinary walk disappears, but you do feel some front-to-back movement in the saddle. You feel each hoof hit the ground separately, with a strong push from each hind leg. You feel an energetic connection through the horse's body as he moves in a flat walk, unlike the more relaxed and lazy feel of the ordinary walk.

The Running Walk

In this gait, the hooves leave the ground and set down at even intervals, as they do in the walk and flat walk. The speed ranges from seven to ten miles per hour, with a few individuals able to perform the gait correctly at higher speeds. The sound is an even 1-2-3-4 beat. You can easily recite the little phrase "let's go a-long" to the beats of the gait when riding on a firm surface. The footfall sequence and timing are the same in this gait as they are in the ordinary and flat walk. The basic support sequence is also the same, although when it is done at faster speeds there is a change in the weight transfer from a walking step to a running step. That means that one hoof sets down as the other lifts, with only part of the lifting hoof still in contact with the ground as the transfer is made. The overstride is also longer in the running walk than it is in the flat walk or ordinary walk. Some of the increase in speed between the ordinary walk and the running walk is the result of this increased length of step.

How it looks: Horses doing a running walk continue to nod their heads and necks, although they may not move quite as far up and down as they do in the slower walks. The back is steady, with no obvious undulations, and the croup stays level, with no up and down bounce to the tail. The hind step is long and sweeping, while the front may be a little higher than in the ordinary walk for some horses. The hooves leave the ground and set down at even, equal intervals, with no pairing in time of any two legs. The horse appears energetic but relaxed, with long sweeping steps from his hind legs pushing him strongly forward.

“Lee presents the what, why, and how of easy gaits….A must-read for those who mistakenly believe gaits are best achieved through pain and force.”

Natural Horse

“A thorough, well-written look at training the pleasure horse….Ziegler is a top clinician in Germany and the United States and brings 30 years’ experience with gaited breeds to this book. It’s a keeper.”

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